Coddled Eggs

Why This Recipe Works

Coddling is, by definition, one of the gentlest ways to cook an egg. You crack one or two into a greased ramekin or cup and then nestle the ramekin into a simmering water bath on the stove and cover the pot. The ramekin's walls insulate the egg, and the hot water from below and steam from above efficiently but softly set the white and thicken the yolk so that it's just a notch tighter than runny. To ensure consistent results, we started with two fridge-cold eggs per 3-inch-wide ramekin. Using cold eggs reduced any textural contrast; a pair of them in a relatively small ramekin ensured that they “stacked” on one another, encouraging the whites to further insulate the yolks. We also used a relatively deep lidded pot; its ample headspace wouldn't fill with steam too quickly, which would cause the eggs to cook faster from the top than from the bottom. A double layer of paper towels on the floor of the pot helped anchor the ramekins during cooking. To ensure uniform cooking from top to bottom—and keep our hands out of harm's way—we added the filled ramekins to the pot and poured boiling water around them; that way, the water instantly cooled when it hit the pan, giving the eggs a gentler start to cooking. Then we turned the burner to medium to bring the water up to a simmer. Salting the bottom of the ramekin as well as the eggs before cooking seasoned every bite; incorporating other additions—crumbled cheese or bacon, sautéed or roasted vegetables, flavored butter, chili crisp, fresh herbs, and citrus zest—made for endless flavor variations.